Purpose of gloves while lifting?
 

I know that weight lifting gloves are good to prevent calluses. But I'm wondering if they will help with my grip on the weights. I would like to use heavier weights for my lower body, but I find that I can't hold anything more than 25 lbs and even that is a struggle. My arms get very tired and I know its just a matter of building up my upper body strength, but I'm wondering if gloves will at least make it a little easier on my hands. Any thoughts? Thanks!! :)

I use gloves for weights because my hands sweat so much...I wouldn't worry so much about how much you lift but how consistent you are and that you are working to failure..the strength will come on its own.

the gloves will give you a better grip so you stay less focused about holding on and more about what you're lifting but brn2bthn was right: it is not about the amount you're lifting...you want to lift enough to completely fatigue the muscle so that by the end of the 3rd or 4th set you cannot do another rep...may focus more on moderate weight with double the reps. you would be surprised how much more tired you get when you rep until you cannot perform a full one without having to lower the weight.

I bought gloves because I have tiny hands that can barely reach around the handles on some of the machines (my gym is lacking in the area of free weights). It helps on some machines, but on others the gloves pull on my hands in weird ways that hurt. I really can't afford to try another brand, even the first pair was a splurge, so I just tough it out

I use wrist straps to lift heavier than my grip can comfortably allow.

I tried gloves and didn't like them. I would much rather feel the weight fully in my hands. It seems like I have a much better grip without them.

I don't use gloves myself.

I use gloves on some exercises, but not others. I use them for heavy dead lifts, and used to use straps also, like midwife.

My grip is better, and I don't spend so much time whining to myself that my hands hurt.

And sorry to disagree with charlottekelsey, but I do believe it matters a great deal how heavy you are lifting as long as your form is still correct. If you are doing a standard strength workout, sets to failure of more than 12-15 reps at the MOST will not increase your strength and muscle mass. Burn calories and build muscle endurance, yes. But if you goal is to build muscle, you need to be able to reach fatigue level at about the 10-12th rep of a set.

If you can go heavier for lower body exercises than the dumbbells that you can hold, consider using a barbell and a rack. :)

Mel

Gloves mystify me. I have a pair. They live in my gym bag. I tried them a couple of times while doing rack pulls. Halfway through the second set I peeled them off and tossed them aside. I still prefer the feel of the bar in my hands even if I have to wring my palms out after I'm done.

The gloves do come in handy for rowing exercises such as the cable low row (the handle grips on that thing are metal with hatch marks...beastly, as well as the Concept2 rowing machines. Oh, and they saved me when I was raking the leaves in my yard this fall. :lol:

It's all a personal preference. Use what will help you the most. :hug:

I know different people will have different views on this, but I prefer not to use gloves when I lift. It actually will affect your grip in that it adds a layer between your hand and the bar thereby increasing the thickness of the bar. Especially for someone with smaller hands this actually will have the effect of reducing your grip strength.

If you have having grip issues, get some lifting chalk (lifting chalk, climbing chalk, etc.). I carry it in a zip lock bag, chalk my hands for some of the heavy lifting exercises (i.e., deadlifts, power cleans), and make sure I clean after myself (bar, floor, etc.). Learning how to properly grip the bar and using chalk will actually prevent callus formation (although I still have a thin layer of callus on my hands) and will give you a stronger grip than using gloves, straps, etc.

I use gloves and mine are pretty thin. The grooves (or whatever it is called) on the bar hurt my palm without them. I do have small hands but I guess they are proportionate to how tall I am. Huh, I had no idea wearing gloves would affect the grip strength.

My grip is stronger when I wear gloves, which is why I wear them (don't care about calluses!) Because my hands are smaller, I can't grip an Olympic bar as well with my bare hands so gloves really help me out. And I feel more confident lifting DBs and doing assisted pullups. So as you can see, it's a very individual thing. There's nothing wrong with using gloves if they help you. :)

I cannot lift much with my arms (RSI). I use a barbell instead.

I would suggest getting the wrist straps. It takes a lot of the pressure off of your hands. Other muscles groups are able to handle more weight than we can pick up. If you want to test it out, must gyms have a pair you can use while you work out.

I have gloves and I wear them every time i left. They really help me with pullups (i can do at least 5 more with them), but it really is a personal preference. Just get ones made from leather. other one will still make your hands hurt

And i completely agree with mel. It does make a difference how much you lift. If you can easily do 15 reps, you are using the wrong weight. You arent going to get bulky, but you will get stronger and burn more calories in the long run.

I workout at home. I gloves because I sweat so much I tend to lose my grip on my freeweights and kettlebell. Strange but true I also use them during my yoga dvd. I sweat so much there to that my hands slip out from under me on the yoga mat during planks and side planks and such.